


Counting The Minutes

by Josh89



Series: Mini-Castles [6]
Category: Castle (TV 2009)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Feel-good, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Rings, Weddings, beach wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:20:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21744421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh89/pseuds/Josh89
Summary: Rick and Kate finally celebrate their wedding.
Relationships: Kate Beckett/Richard Castle
Series: Mini-Castles [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562563
Kudos: 6





	Counting The Minutes

Nine hours, 35 minutes, 54 seconds. That's all that runs through the writer's head as he lays awake, missing the warmth of his fiancee's body next to him. Even if it is just for one night. There are just over nine and a half hours until Katherine Houghton Beckett becomes his wife, and, right now, he regrets the fact that they had decided to do the traditional thing and spend the eve of their wedding apart. Oh, sure, he understands why they decided to, since he hadn't followed that tradition with either of his previous marriages and she's a 'one and done kind of girl' and both of them want this marriage to be absolutely perfect (which is also part of the reason they had agreed to abstain from sex until their wedding night). Despite knowing that, however, despite knowing that their separation was only for that one night, he can't deny that he found it incredibly hard to get to sleep with an empty bed next to him, without watching her slender chest rise and fall with every soft breath that she takes. He misses the way that she unconsciously curls her long, lithe body into his like she's never going to let him go, her right hand draped protectively across the slight swell of her stomach. She's pregnant. Kate Beckett, the woman he loves with everything he has, is pregnant with his child. In just under eight months, they're going to be parents (again, in his case). God, she's going to be a fantastic mother. He can't stop thinking about how lucky he is to have her in his life. And how he's going to get even luckier in just a few short hours.  
~Four hours later~  
"Dad? Are you awake?"  
Five hours, 27 minutes, 12 seconds. Rick glances up from the sheet of paper in his hand, meeting the eyes of the red-haired young woman who is currently standing in the doorway. He smiles at her, and she walks over to him, sitting down next to him and leaning into his side. "Did you want to ask me something, Alexis?" he queries.  
She gestures, indicating the small, wrapped, box on the nightstand beside his bed. "I was just wondering if you wanted me to give that to Kate yet".  
"Is your almost-stepmother awake?" he asks in response, though he already knows that she is. Otherwise, why would his daughter even be asking such a question?  
"Yes. Lanie and Grams are helping her get ready now. She's already got her something old, something new, and something borrowed. She just needs something blue".  
That's all the answer he needs. With a smile, he picks up the small box from the table and hands it to her. He pauses to consider something, before writing something on the paper in his hand and folding the resulting note in half before passing that to his daughter as well. "Could you give that to her too?"  
"Certainly".  
He watches as his red-haired daughter leaves the room, and then sighs softly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and getting to his feet. Five hours, 19 minutes, 20 seconds until show time. Time for a shower. And then coffee and maybe pancakes. And then going over his vows one last time. It's going to be a big day. Five hours, 19 minutes, 10 seconds. And counting.  
-Kate Beckett-  
Five hours, 17 minutes, and two seconds. That's how long until she's not Katherine Houghton Beckett any more, until she marries the man of her dreams, her 'one and done'. The father of her unborn child. Her partner in crime, her partner in life. The man whose words kept her going until the man himself was there to take their place. A man who, she now knows, she loves with everything she has. A man she cannot imagine ever living her life without. In just five hours, 15 minutes, and 30 seconds, she will, fully and legally, become Katherine Houghton Castle (except at the Precinct, of course. There she'll still be Detective Kate Beckett). Wife of Richard Castle, famous mystery writer. Daughter-in-law of Martha Rodgers, Broadway actress. Stepmother of Alexis Castle. It's enough to bring tears to the eyes of the detective as she stands in front of the mirror in one of the many guest bedrooms of their beach house, where they're holding the wedding. Her maid of honor and best friend, Lanie, is putting the finishing touches to her hair, and Kate barely suppresses a chuckle as she realizes that it's only five hours, 10 minutes, and nine seconds until she walks down the aisle on her father's arm to meet her soon-to-be-husband at the altar, and she's standing in the middle of a guest room, hair and makeup done to perfection (or at least her definition of perfection, which is barely anything really, just enough to enhance her natural beauty), and wearing a plain blue t-shirt and grey slacks instead of the wedding dress which is currently stretched out on the room's queen-sized bed. A single, perfect, tear makes its way down her cheek, and she reaches up one hand to brush it away, the smile never leaving her face. "Thank God for waterproof makeup".  
There's a knock on the door, which has been closed ever since Alexis left the room earlier, and Lanie stops working on her hair almost immediately, turning towards it. "Who is it?"  
"It's me," comes Alexis's voice from the hallway. "Can I come in?"  
Martha quickly walks over and opens the door to let her granddaughter in, before closing it once more. Kate takes a second to cast her eyes over her soon-to-be-stepdaughter, who is holding a small wrapped box and a folded piece of paper in her hand. "What's that?" the detective queries.  
Alexis smiles. "A surprise present for you. From my dad. He bought them in case you had trouble finding something blue. The note is from him as well".  
Kate smiles at her fiancee's thoughtfulness and accepts the gift, carefully pulling off the paper and lifting the lid of the small velvet box inside to see the contents. As the contents are revealed, she can feel her breath catch in her throat, and yet more tears spring to her eyes. The pair of sapphire drop earrings that are nestled inside the small container in her hand are simple enough to be perfectly suited for her, yet still elegant enough to be fitting for their wedding. Just when I think I can't be more in love with Rick than I already am, he goes and does something like this... she thinks.  
As if on autopilot, she sets the box down at the foot of the bed, right beside the dress, and unfolds the small piece of paper. Her fiancee's familiar handwriting catches her eye immediately, and she can't resist the smile that spreads across her face as she takes in his words. Dear Kate. We've come so far, fought so hard and for so long to get to each other, but we've finally done it. And what happens today will make it all worthwhile. I'm sure your mother would be proud of everything you've achieved, no matter where she is. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she's here, in spirit. Watching over you to make sure that nothing stops you from getting the happiness that you deserve to have. I love you, Katherine Houghton Beckett (Or Katherine Houghton Castle, whichever you prefer), and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. See you out there. Rick.  
The tears (though of happiness, naturally) are streaming openly down her face now, and she silently thanks God again for waterproof makeup as she carefully refolds the note before placing it on the bed beside the earrings. Now she really can't wait. Only another four hours, 49 minutes, and nine seconds to go.  
-Richard Castle-  
~4 hours, nine minutes, and nine seconds later~  
40 minutes to go... "The couple have expressed their wish to read their own vows. Katherine Beckett, if you don't mind..."  
The gorgeous woman in the strapless white dress standing next to Rick nods slightly, taking a breath to ready herself before beginning. "Rick. When I first met you, I will admit that I hated you. You were immature, arrogant and childish, and your insane theories got on my nerves. But it wasn't long before I found myself warming to you, telling you things that I had never told anyone else, things that I had been trying to keep quiet for years. I built up walls around my heart after my mother's death, walls that I thought would keep me from getting hurt all over again. Once you came along, Rick, you set about trying to break them down, piece by piece, brick by brick. You tore them down so badly that I will never, ever, be able to rebuild them. And while it scares me that anyone can be that persistent, I'm also glad. I'm glad because it gives me a chance to share my love for you with the world. Because it makes everything we've been through together worth it. Because, Rick, you are, and always will be, my 'one and only', and I promise you that I will love you with every ounce of strength that I have. Always".  
Rick smiles softly at her as he wipes a tear from his eye, and she returns the smile. Judge Markway nods to the writer. "Rick, if you please".  
"Kate. From the moment you first introduced yourself to me that night at the launch party for the final book in the Derrick Storm series, I knew you were different. If I'm honest, I am ashamed of who I was back then. The fame had gone to my head, and I wasn't really having any fun. Once you accepted me into your team, though, I realized how truly amazing you really are. Your passion for your job, your loyalty, the way you're so dedicated to getting justice for the families of the victims. The fact that you never willingly give up or back away from a challenge. Those things just serve to prove to me how extraordinary you really are. I have been in love with you for at least three years now, and I will continue to be in love with you for as long as I live. Always".  
Once he finishes speaking, they quickly slip the matching gold and platinum wedding bands onto their partner's hand, and the judge nods again. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride".  
As their lips lock in their first kiss as husband and wife, a kiss which both have been eagerly waiting for, both are thinking the exact same thing. Zero.


End file.
